Heath sidelined by injury; Teammate McClain steps in for battle with Lewis

Posted on | February 23, 2010 | No Comments

By MFC Staff

An injury late in training for the MFC 24: Heat XC co-main event has dropped David Heath from Friday’s card, but his teammate Ryan McClain has stepped up to the challenge.

McClain (9-3), who like Heath hails from Tulsa, Oklahoma, will meet Dwayne Lewis (10-4) in a light heavyweight tussle with Lewis looking to extend his winning streak to seven straight. Heath suffered what has been initially diagnosed as a partially torn right bicep while sparring late last week. He continued to train right up until Saturday and still was looking forward to fighting until a final visit to the doctor on Monday.

“I threw a hook to the body and my arm banged hard,” explained Heath. “I went back again on the weekend and snapped out a punch and just went down in pain. I was still going to fight and look for a way around it but after I talked to my doctor again, that would have been a bad idea.”

Heath is scheduled for an MRI exam to further check the damage but will be heading to MFC 24 to corner McClain, a known quick finisher will all nine of his victories coming inside the first round. Eight of McClain’s victories have come via submission. McClain’s only knockout victory was one for the highlight reel, though, as he took out veteran Brandon McDowell at the 18-second mark of Round 1.

While disappointed that he won’t be fighting, Heath is eager to guide his training partner through the biggest test of his career.

“When I told him he was going to fight, he was giddy with excitement. He’s ready to rock,” said Heath. “He’s flashy, he’s got a great chin, he’s real shifty on the ground … he can do it all.”

The McClain-Lewis matchup will headline the MFC 24: Heat XC card alongside the night’s main event pitting Derrick “The Eraser” Noble against “The Texas Gunslinger” Yves Edwards in a hotly anticipated lightweight clash.

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